The Flow: Green companies; in-flight Glacial

SKINNY NUTRITIONAL CORP. announced financial results for the year ending December 31, 2008. Total sales for 2008 were $2,179,055, which represents an increase of 189 percent over 2007 revenues of $752,825. Link•The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Better Beverages, Ltd., a Pepsi-Cola and Dr Pepper franchised bottler that serves portions of central Texas. Link•Cadbury Plc announced that it has completed the sale of the Schweppes Beverages business in Australia to Sumida-ku, Tokyo-based Asahi Breweries, Ltd. for about GBP 550 million in cash. Link

New SKUs

Vita Coco announced the introduction of a new 500 ml size with a resealable cap, available May 2009. Link•glaceau officially introduced vitaminwater10. Link•Boowl introduced a European kids drink to U.S. kids. Link

Distribution

After 15 years with Pepsi, Colonial Williamsburg announced that it struck a 10-year deal with Coca-Cola to replace Pepsi in restaurants, vending machines and fountain services throughout the Historic Area. Link•Icelandic Glacial announced that it has signed an exclusive two-year deal with Iceland’s national airline, Icelandair. Link•Hydro One Beverages announced that Rev D is now available in all Earth Fare Stores. Earth Fare has 15 stores in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Link•XYIENCE announced that a new agreement with Classic Distributing and Beverage Group means a substantial increase in the Southern California market for its energy drink brand, Xenergy. To kick off the relationship Classic welcomed UFC fighter Joe Stevenson, a XYIENCE athlete ambassador, to its City of Industry location. Link• Innovative Beverage Group Holdings, Inc. announced that the company has entered into an agreement with distributor Griffin Beverage Company to bring drank to 41 counties in Michigan. Link

Miscellaneous

GALA Hispanic Theatre, a Washington D.C.-based theater troupe, debuted a production called “The True History of Coca-Cola in Mexico,” which skewers the effects of American capitalism on Mexican culture, and was nearly derailed due to a poster that cast a Coca-Cola bottle as the Virgin of Guadalupe. Link• The Coca-Cola Company will test new, high-tech interactive vending machines this spring in select Simon malls in the southeast U.S. Link•Hall of Fame Beverages, Inc. announced a new co-venture with alcohol company Destileria Serralles, Inc. for the development of a new product called Pirate Punch. Link• German researchers discovered that plastic water bottles contaminate drinking water with estrogenic chemicals, and the chemicals result in an increased development of embryos in the New Zealand mud snail. Link• One of three enhanced waters recently selected for testing by ConsumerLab.com contained fifteen times its claimed amount of folic acid. Link • Greenopia rated beverage companies for sustainability, eco-friendliness and health. Honest Tea finished first, followed by Steaz, Santa Cruz Organic Sodas, Tazo, Blue Sky Organic and Izze. Link• Mayors of Houston, Sugar Land and 17 other surrounding cities proclaimed Sunday, May 3, 2009, as Lemonade Day in their respective cities. Link• The Coca-Cola Co. will publish “corrective” advertisements in Australian newspapers after the consumer regulator there said earlier Coke ads were misleading. “Coke’s messages were totally unacceptable, creating an impression… that Coca-Cola cannot contribute to weight gain, obesity and tooth decay,” said ACCC Chairman Graeme Samuel in a statement. Link• A recent study conducted by Chicago-based Leo J. Shapiro & Associates, L.L.C. found that social media played a key role in enabling a small minority of loyal consumers to overturn Tropicana‘s introduction of the “Squeeze” package. Link After that package redesign, sales of the Tropicana Pure Premium line plummeted 20 percent between Jan. 1 and Feb. 22. Link•Hansen Natural Corp. is working to grab market share in Europe and break rival Red Bull‘s near monopoly in the region. Link

Promotions/Appearances

The Gatorade Company, in partnership with ESPN RISE, announced junior point guard Brandon Knight of Pine Crest School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) as its 2008-09 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Link•TeaZazz Sparkling Tea will be sponsoring the Writers in Treatment REEL Recovery Film Series on eight consecutive Tuesday nights from April 7 to May 26 at the Silent Film Theatre in West Hollywood, CA. •NOS extended its support for the third year in a row in the sponsorship of the “HOT IMPORT NIGHTS” 2009 national tour. Link•MC2 announced that it is teaming up with NASCAR Nationwide driver Casey Atwood and veteran team owner Wayne Day for the O’Reilly 300 on April 4th at the Texas Motor Speedway. Link•Bud Light will continue its support of the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour as the Official Malt Beverage sponsor with a newly signed three-year contract extension. Link•Poland Spring announced a $150,000 grant to help conserve the 58 acre Indian Cellar land. Link• O, The Oprah Magazine is featuring Vignette Wine Country Soda in their April “O List.” •Sunny Delight Beverages Co. is on the road with SunnyD Smoothies, and two mobile tours focused on encouraging children to Move, Laugh, Think. Link• Families nationwide can now participate in the new Pure Life / Best Life Challenge to help them make small changes and form new healthy habits. LinkNestle also released an online audio report about building healthier habits. Link• Passengers flying from Atlanta to Detroit on AirTran Airways Friday will be served complimentary vitaminwater beverages in anticipation of this weekend’s NCAA championship basketball games. Link•Tropicana and Waste Management announced the launch of a national initiative to increase the number of juice and milk cartons for recycling. Link